Harlem Arts Alliance Presents: On the “A” w/Souleo

If you look back on some of the most groundbreaking and revolutionary creative works in history, you will see that youth have always played an invaluable role in moving the artistic community and the world forward. Carrying on that tradition is a whole new crop of young talent, from the visual arts to theater.

In the Art in Flux Harlem exhibition “Exposure,” a group of teenagers from the non-profit Artistic Noise curate and feature their own works of art. The exhibition’s theme is about tapping into dark corners to bring to light untold stories and thereby realizing the full potential of one’s talent. Aside from that the youth are also hoping the show does a few other things. “With this exhibit we want to tell the story about the life of kids who have had a drastic change in their lives. This speaks about second chances. We also want more people to see our art through a wider distribution and hopefully get more funding.”

While CULTURE CRASHER Solomon Hicks provided musical entertainment at the “Exposure” opening night reception, fellow mentee Georgie Exinord was busy making her own artistic statement in the powerful play Trafficked. The play focuses on sex slavery and child exploitation and is written entirely by members of Project Girl Performance Collective, which is composed of young women between the ages of 14-21. Standout performances included Sophie Walker, Exinord and Fishback. For the latter she hopes that the group performance raises more awareness about sex slavery. “This happens in New York and I never knew that. So it’s important to open our ears and eyes and to protest against it. This is a human rights violation” Fishback states. Exinord also wants people to demonstrate more sensitivity toward victims of trafficking. “When I was promoting the show to my friends they called it ‘the whore show.’ I want them to know the difference between prostitution and trafficking so that we can change their language and be aware.”

Raising awareness about the value of fiber art was but one goal for Michelle Bishop, president of Harlem Needle Arts, Inc. This past weekend, Bishop hosted an outdoor group exhibition in St. Nicholas Park featuring plant life and floral arrangements through the media of crotchet, knit, quilt, felt and/or weave. For Bishop the purpose behind the concept is to expand the notion of what fiber art can be and to sustain a sense of community. “This is about community and bringing needle art and fiber constructionists together to think outside the box,” Bishop explains. “Some of these artists are not used to 3-D form so this takes it to another level.”

Creative artist Beau McCall will share his talents with the community this Saturday, June 30th at 2PM at Riverside Library for a free t-shirt design workshop presented by the New York Public Library and Souleo Enterprises, LLC. The workshop will teach patrons how to ruche and drape a t-shirt. So bring that old shirt hanging in your closet and give it a fresh makeover. After all, if you can’t change the world like the aforementioned teens, at least you can walk through the world in unique style.

Souleo Enterprises, LLC is the umbrella company that creates and produces entertaining, empowering and informative media and philanthropic projects by founder, Souleo.

This article is courtesy of our partner The Harlem Arts Alliance

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The Harlem Arts Alliance is a not for profit arts service organization celebrating 10 years of service to a prestigious list of members such as the Apollo Theater, the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, Columbia University, Harlem Stage (Aaron Davis Hall) and over 850 more cultural/arts institutions and individuals. The weekly column, Harlem Arts Alliance Presents: On the “A” w/Souleo, covers the intersection of the arts, culture and entertainment in Harlem and the greater NYC area.